


The world will be ours Sequel

by Darknessisafriend



Category: Gladiator (2000)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darknessisafriend/pseuds/Darknessisafriend
Summary: This fic is a sequel to the fic The world will be ours but can also be read independantly. It follows Commodus as a father, where he is happy and gets the love he deserves but then something terrible happens...
Relationships: Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus | Emperor Commodus/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

_6 years later_

It had been 6 years since the fight in the arena and your first pregnancy. And since then you had given birth to another child, a boy named Valens who was three years old now. And everything was going well; the Empire was in peace and full of wealth, the Emperor was finally getting along with the Senate. And Commodus was being an amazing father; you had never seen him smile so much.

You spent a lot of time taking care of your kids now, and you were glad Commodus had accepted to partly rely on the Senate, it was one less worry for you. And taking care of your children was as exhausting as dealing with the Senate, maybe even more. You were in charge of teaching and feeding them, you could have asked childminders to take care of them for these tasks but it was important to you to spend time with them, they already didn´t see their father so much, they needed to know family was important and that they were loved. Commodus agreed more than anything with it, he had suffered too much from the absence of his father and did his best to be there for them. Thankfully, Lucilla often helped you, after all she had raised Lucius, she knew how to deal with children. 

However, there was one thing Commodus had still trouble with; to have someone else pick your attention, he was so used that you had only eyes for him and now his own flesh and blood was stealing you from him! So, he always did or said silly things to make you take care of him, you often pretended to be annoyed but you actually found it very cute, just like today.

“Y/N I´m in urgent need of your care!” he said urgently as he arrived in the room where you were watching over the kids with Lucilla. You turned to him with a worried frown. 

“What is it?” you asked with concern. Quickly, you got up and came to rest your palm on his forehead to check for fever, you realized he was holding his left hand against his torso.

“I cut myself.” he said as he showed you his index, it was a small cut, barely bleeding, you sighed, hiding a smile.

“Love, it´s a paper cut...” you stated, arching an eyebrow, it was almost impressive at how many ideas he could find to have you take care of him. 

“But it terribly hurts.” he pouted looking to the side, was he sulking!? A chuckle escaped your lips, he had a really cute pouting face.

“Lucilla, can you watch over Valens? I need to take care of our severely injured warrior.” you asked her with a grin; she laughed at your comment, her brother had always had a childish personality. 

You guided your husband to the bedroom, and made him sit on the bed as you went to take a bowl of water and a clean piece of cloth, you sat close to him, your thigh against his, you gently took his hand to clean the small cut; he hissed at the contact of the clothe against it.

“Don´t be a baby, you´ve been through worse.” you laughed at how childish he behaved. When you had finished, you brought his hand to your lips, gently kissing his injured finger, he exhaled in satisfaction. 

“Y/N, I suddenly have a headache, it must be the fatigue, maybe a kiss would make me feel better?” he began with a hint of hope in his tone. You retained a laugh and played along, kissing his forehead, his hand came to caress your lower back, and you suddenly wished you had time for more. 

“Does your lips hurt too Commodus?” you flirted; his eyes traveled down to your lips.

“Very much...” he breathed with desire; you grinned as you placed your lips on his in a loving kiss, you giggled as he pushed you down on the mattress, you buried your fingers in his hair. How right it felt to be in his arms, the kiss went deeper and his hands started to travel down your body. 

“We should get back...” you said between kisses; you missed the time where you both spent hours in each other's arms but now you had a happy and loving family to take care of; something Commodus had always wanted. Your husband sighed, caressing your cheek.

“You’re probably right; as always.” he whispered, his eyes full of tenderness, he gave you another kiss before helping you back up.

The both of you headed back to where you had left your children with Lucilla. As you arrived, you noticed Lucius was there too. He had grown into a fine young man; he was 18 years old now and he was a great uncle to Julia, he was very often seeking her company and wanted to teach her all the things he knew. Right now, your daughter was playing fighting with him, she had her own small wooden sword and Lucius still used the one he used to when he was younger, he wouldn’t want to hurt her by accident. You chuckled at the ferocity of Julia despite her young age.

“She really has your Gallic blood.” complimented Commodus has he watched her fight, he was smiling proudly, she was going to get even better as she grows up

“But she has your combativeness” you replied as she ferociously groaned against her uncle.

“I want to be Commodus the Invincible now!” she insisted grumpily. 

“But you need to be tall and strong for that, little Julia” he teased her, she stuck out her tongue to him.

“That’s not true!” she argued, her patience getting thin.

“Lucius...” warned Lucilla, Julia was also quick to extreme emotions just like her father and her young age only increased the probabilities of a tantrum. Your nephew sighted in defeat and accepted that Julia played her father’s role.

“You can’t kill me, I am invincible like Hercules!” she claimed loudly, brandishing her little wooden sword in the air; as they fought Lucius pretended to be in difficulty and let her win. You turned your head to look at your husband, you noticed the look on his face, his eyes were wet, he swallowed down truly moved by how he was viewed by his own family, he never thought he’d be loved so much. You smiled softened, this was the true Commodus that had buried himself deep into a cruel being under the rejection of his father; and since Julia was born, he was himself again, a caring and sensitive man.

He wished he could spend all his time with his family, you had been right about how he should rely on the Senate as a support, now he had more time to dedicate to his family, it was better than what he had before.

“I will see you tonight.” he said, quickly kissing your cheek before leaving to his duties.

And now, you missed his presence; the whole day seemed endless and you couldn’t wait to be in his arms once again. Thankfully, he was able to join you for dinner, and the kids behaved better when he was there, partly because no one wanted to see an angry Commodus and also, they had missed him so much that they were happy of his presence. 

“Alright Julia. It’s time for you and your brother to go to bed.” you said, getting up and taking Valens in your arms.

“I’m not tired!” replied the little girl, she was a bit too excited for this time of the day.

“Julia you will obey to your mother. You have to sleep, it’s good for the mind.” Commanded Commodus, he got up and took her in his arms while you kept Valens in yours. The both of you headed to the bedroom they shared. They also shared the same bed for now, and they loved it. After changing them in their nightclothes and tucking them under the covers, you kissed them goodnight on the forehead, their father did the same; but your children weren’t ready to let go of their parents just yet.

“Father, can you tell me your story again?” asked Julia, her eyes shining with hope. Your lover chuckled, he couldn’t resist to her beautiful pleading eyes; so, he sat down on the mattress, and you on the other side of the bed, softly caressing Valens dark hair.

“Alright. This is the story of a beautiful princess named Y/N and a tormented Emperor, me...” he started, your children no matter how many times they had heard this story, were still completely hooked by it.

It was Commodus who came up this story, he had surprised you when he told it for the first and it had brought tears to your eyes and still today it moved you. You watched as your younger child fell asleep; as for Julia, her eyes were starting to feel heavy, she was struggling to stay awake until the end of the story.

“And that’s how the princess, your mother saved me, became Empress of the Roman Empire and got two beautiful children.” finished your lover with a smile turning his head to tenderly look at you in the eyes, before bending to kiss his daughter’s forehead. You got up to let them sleep, closely followed by your husband who suddenly caught you by the waist.

“And now it´s the turn of mama to go to bed!” he purred against your ear, his hands still around your waist, he started to place kisses on your neck. 

“Honey the kids are here!” you giggled, the both of you laughing, you hurried to your bedroom. 

You pushed him on the bed, climbing on top of him, his hands slide under your stola, caressing your thighs.

“Finally alone...” he purred against your lips, you smirked, licking his lips. 

“I need you so much...” your breathed between kisses, your tongue caressing his. Since his little act this morning, you wanted him to take you. You took off your stola, his hand guiding the clothing down your body.

“You’re so beautiful.” he said as he looked at your naked body, since you had given birth, your body had become more luscious and it turned out Commodus was loving it. He straightened up and hungrily captured your breast in his mouth, you bit your lip as he sucked in your nipple. You buried your fingers in his hair as his mouth trailed kisses up until he reached your lips. 

You felt him hard against your spot and it made you even more impatient to have him inside of you; your hand wandered down his neck and down his torso, you wanted to feel his naked skin against yours but his toga was in the way.

“By the gods, take that off.” you muttered with a bit a frustration which made your husband laugh. So, he toppled you over on the mattress, still between your legs, you watched him take off his clothes, his wounds had healed well and now his body bared two beautiful scars, Commodus’s body remained perfect to you and you reminded him as much as you could. 

His eyes were dark with desire as he came back on top of you, hungrily capturing your mouth and in one slow thrust he entered you, making you gasp in pleasure. You wrapped your legs around his hips to bring him even closer to you, he moaned against your lips; you grabbed his shoulders as he started to move, your mouth traveled to his jaw and then his neck, earning a needy groan from him.

“Feel so good...you’re so good...” you whispered against his skin, your tongue went to caress the scar on his neck, he moaned at the contact on his sensitive patch of skin; but soon you found it difficult to take care of him as he increased the pace, you felt waves of pleasure washing over your body until you reached climax, Commodus quickly joined you a few seconds afterwards. 

“I love you, I love you so much Y/N...” he panted resting his forehead against yours, you smiled at his tender words, caressing his cheek before kissing his lips.

“I love you too Commodus, always.” you replied looking at him the eyes, a big happy grin appeared on his face, after all this time, he was still surprised to have someone caring for him. Then, he lied down on his back, so that you could snuggle against him, you placed a kiss on his torso before resting your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, lulled by his calm breathing.

But in the middle of the night, as you both peacefully slept, you were awaken by the sounds of crying, it only took you a few seconds to realize it was Valens; he probably had a nightmare, you sighed trying to gather energy to get up and go to your child but before you could your husband stopped you.

“I´ll take care of this.” he yawned, placing a soft kiss on your forehead before getting up and covering his naked body with the strict minimum. He knew how tired you were, especially with Valens who was having a lot of trouble to sleep and was often waking you up, more than Julia ever had. You were glad that Commodus sleep wasn´t as heavy as before and that he took the initiative to go sooth his child. 

Barely a few seconds after he left, he was already back, carrying your son in his arms, you slitghly frowned in confusion. 

“I know how nightmares can be scary, baby.” he was whispering to Valens, caressing his back in comfort, your lover saw that you were still awake.

“He didn´t want me to leave his side” he explained, laying down Valens next to you, before putting himself under the covers. Your son snuggled against your naked chest as you started to hum a lullaby to put him to sleep, you passed an arm around his small body, your hand stroking your husband´s forearm. You noticed how it also made Commodus fall back asleep, you smiled soften by how he was still the same even after the terrible ordeals he went through.

Now that Lucius was grown man, he spent a lot of time with his uncle; he needed to learn how to rule the Empire while waiting for Julia and Valens to be old enough. Some would have thought Lucius would feel bitter about this and would want to take power for himself but since the events of the arena, his ambitions weren´t the same anymore. He had confessed it to you one day; because he had seen the terrible effects it had on his dear uncle, he didn´t want to suffer like him. 

“Uncle, Y/N. When I´ll give back the powers to my nephews, I would like to travel and explore the world. Would you grant me this?” he asked hopeful, he had always been a very curious boy, you smiled with complicity at your husband.

“You know we will support you” you answered him with a kind smile.

“Once, I had told your mother you would make a great Legatus one day. And I didn´t change my mind. I know you would be perfect represent Rome in our provinces like Gallia or maybe even Provincia Ludaea if you have enough strength to maintain our influence over the Jews and Samaritans.” explained your husband watching his nephew excitement rise up.

“Thank you, uncle! I won´t disappoint you.” he replied eagerly, trying to hide his smile.

“I know you won´t. Come here” said your husband standing up and hugging him tightly. 

“Uncle Lucius, we´re waiting for you!” interrupted Julia, Valens and Lucilla were also by her side. 

“To do what?” you asked curious at the sudden impatient tone of Julia.

“S´prise!” blurted out Valens, which earned a smile from his father, every time his son tried to speak, he melted

“For who?” he asked amused.

“Mama and papa” replied Valens on a secretive tone, which made you chuckle.

“Come on kiddos, let´s leave before they make us talk.” joked Lucius, faking looking at the both of you with suspicion. Your husband laughed at their behavior.

“Don´t worry I´m looking after them” reassured you Lucilla.

“Oh, because your part of the confidence too?” you asked falsely offended, you were excited to see what they were going to do.

“What do they have planned for us...” wondered Commodus out loud as he watched his little family leave; now it was just you and him, and he felt like taking a break.

“What would you say to sharing a warm bath with me, dear wife?” he offered, taking your hand and placing kisses on each of your knuckles. Your other hand lifted to gently caress his face, he leaned into your touch.

“It will do us good.” you replied in a whisper, planting a kiss on his forehead. 

A few minutes later, the bath was ready; the room was full of steam, the both of you stripped down and entered the warm water. You sighed happily as you felt your muscles relax. You felt Commodus gaze on you, he was looking at you with so much adoration, even after all these years spent together; sometimes it was even hard for you to understand why he felt this way about you. 

“Hey, relax love. I’ll wash your hair for you” he said coming to stand behind you, his hands wandered on your shoulders, his lips leaving kisses along your shoulder.

“Hmmm feels nice...” you hummed closing your eyes to enjoy it even more.

“Oh yeah?” he replied, you felt him smile against your skin, he placed one last kiss behind your ear before starting to damp your hair, his hands were gentle like a caress as he massaged your scalp.

“You know, I still can’t believe it.” he spoke after a bit.

“Believe what?”

“All of this, the people and the Senate happy with my reign; our family...” he laughed in disbelief “I have so much love for you, I never thought I could feel like this about anyone and I have beautiful and loving children too... “

“And now, look at you, you’ve become such an indulgent father, your children have to say one word and you go all soft” you teased him making him laugh.

“They know it and they’re taking advantage of it!” he chuckled rinsing your hair; and when he finished, you turned to face him, putting your arms around his neck, kissing his lips.

“You’re a good father and husband. Marcus Aurelius would have begged you on his knees to forgive him.” you assured him; he released a big dimpled grin; he had proven himself to the entire world and the gods had rewarded him in the best way.

“Now your turn!” you said taking the soap to wash him.

You stayed by Commodus side for the rest of the day, offering your advice to him just like old days. And it enabled you to spend your whole day by his side. Sometimes, you took a walk with him in the palace before returning to work, you would find your kids with Lucilla and Lucius, they went silent when they noticed you, it seems they were rehearsing their surprise and did everything to keep it secret, it was so cute.

“I believe that the Empire should continue to trade with them, they didn’t show any threat, merely the wish to trade peacefully. I don’t understand why Legatus Arsenius wants a confrontation.” sighed Commodus, frustrated by this problem.

“I think he doesn’t make the difference between a partnership between two higher powers and invading threats. Rome must continue to trade with this kingdom. In exchange for their silk, we continue to provide them with our glassware.” you explained, he listened closely to what you said. 

“It’s settled then. And if he continues to annoy me with this, we’ll send another Legatus.” he sighed, passing a hand on his tired eyes. 

You and your husband turned your head as you saw you children accompanied by Lucius enter the study.

“Y/N, uncle.” he saluted, he gave a gentle push to your daughter “Go on.” he encouraged her; she took a step forward.

“Mama and daddy. We invite you after dinner to come and see our show.” she explained with a shy smile.

“It’s-it’s the s’rprise!” added Valens with excitement, making the both of you laugh.

“Alright, we can’t wait see what it is!” you spoke with a big grin, genuinely curious. Commodus chuckled, he was eager to be over with all his tasks for the day, so he could fully enjoy his time with his family. 

It was finally time for the surprise, you had never seen you children so excited. They led you to the library, a small stage had been installed.

“We even have a scenery! Thanks to aunt Lucilla.” explained your daughter with excitement. You thanked your friend, briefly touching her arm, she smiled at you with affection and sat in a chair to watch the show. You and Commodus went to the couch, he passed his arm around you, so that you could snuggle against him. A slave brought you wine to drink during the show.

“They truly thought about everything.” spoke out loud the Emperor with a pleased smile as he sipped from his cup. 

Lucius appeared with his nephews. He was dressed in all white and gold wearing his sword at his hip. Julia wore her prettiest dress; she was truly beautiful; as for Valens he had darker clothes and had a small wooden sword.

“Welcome to the Emperor and his divine wife. Mother we are very pleased to have you too.” Started Lucius with a proud smile “Tonight we will tell you a tragic, yet epic and romantic story. Your story, to honor your sacrifices for Rome and our family.” presented your nephew, your heart was beating faster than usual, for some reason you were anxious to see how they would tell your story. You were pushed out of your thoughts by Julia who came to stand in front of her father.

“Papa, can I borrow your crown please?” she asked suddenly shy, your husband seemed surprised but complied, telling her to be careful with it; then she brought it to Lucius, who put it on his head. 

Their show started, it was actually really cute and even funny, their dialogues had some misspellings, especially for Valens but that’s what gave it all its charm. Lucius was really good at portraying your lover, after all he had seen it all with his own eyes. It was rather amusing to see your little child fight the young man; until the story took over and reminded you of that day, you didn’t expect to be so sensitive about it after all these years. And it seems you weren’t the only one.

“Father please! Why won’t you love me?!” begged Lucius as Commodus in front of a statue representing the former emperor. You turned your head to look at your lover, he was already on the verge of tears, his jaw clenched, you felt your chest tighten at this view, will he ever overcome the shock he felt that day? Your husband calmed down a bit for the following scenes, they were more action driven. But then, the last part of their show started and you found yourself emotional as you watched the scene. 

“Commodus! Don’t die please, Rome needs you; I need you!” pleaded Julia over Lucius who was lied down on the stage; you pinched your lips together, flashes of the event coming back to your mind.

“I wish my family saw me, the way you see me...” you blinked away the tears coming to your eyes and looked up at your husband; tears were running down his cheeks, you rest your hand on his, your thumb stroking his skin, he turned his hand so that he could grab yours.

“They will! You are so brave! You are going to have a baby and-and a hero can’t die, we all love you!” added your daughter with fervor. Commodus never thought he’d be loved so much and he wished his childhood had been different, loved by his father, making little shows with Lucilla for him but no he was never satisfied or happy with him; no matter what he did, it was Maximus, always Maximus and now his children considered him a hero...an audible sob escaped his lips, you shifted in his embrace, cupping his face with worry.

“Love, all is good...you’re okay...” you whispered as discreetly as possible; you didn’t want to disturb the children. But it was too late, they had heard the sob of their father and had stopped playing, looking at him with worry. 

“Why are you crying daddy?” asked Julia confused, Lucius put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. When he heard her voice, your husband tried to dry his tears with a trembling hand.

“I’m-I’m okay, very well actually, go on please...” he reassured them, he met your gaze, you realized it was tears of relief, he was so happy to be loved, you tenderly kissed his wet cheek before redirecting your attention to the show. And when it was finished, your children and Lucius saluted, Lucilla was the first one clapping, quickly followed by you and Commodus. Then, he got up and approached his family, he put his hand on his nephew’s cheek giving him a thankful smile; then he knelt in front of Valens and Julia and took them in his arms, holding them tightly.

“Thank you, thank you my two beautiful sunshines. It makes me very happy.” he told them kissing their faces, and the children smiled glad their dad liked their surprise. You smiled as you looked at them, it was all you ever wanted for Commodus. Still keeping his children in his arms, he turned his head towards you, silently inviting you to join them and you gladly did, under the moved smile of Lucilla and her son. 

All of this was pretty much your everyday day life since Julia was born. The palace was full of joy and love, it was beautiful. You still remembered how it was before, the place, dark, gloomy, it had everything of a tragedy.

The next day

“Love, I’m going out with Lucilla and Lucius, I will bring Julia with me to buy her some dresses.” you informed your husband, sitting V alens on his desk next him so that he could watch over his son while you were gone, he didn’t mind actually, it soothed him and reminded him that there was something outside of his work. However, today he wasn’t in the best mood, it seemed a senator had deeply annoyed me.

“Which senator?” you asked him, putting your palla over your hair.

“Quincius that old man is unbearable.” answered Commodus frustrated, daubing with his quill on the paper and making a blotch which in return made his son giggle. Your lover stopped in his track, and looked at his son, arching an eyebrow at the reaction of the child, a grin appearing on his lips. 

“Yeah Quincius is so annoying!” repeated your husband daubing again on the paper, earning another laugh from his son. Commodus chuckled at how entertained his child was, his son had instantly calmed him down without him noticing it. You leaned forward to kiss your husband’s lips.

“Have fun. I’ll miss you...” he said against your lips before giving you another kiss.

You left, the Sun was high and a nice breeze of air was cooling down the atmosphere. Two guards were discreetly following you in case something happened.

“Julia, hold my hand, a small girl like you could easily get lost.” you instructed your daughter with a smile. You looked around, the forum cuppedinis, the wealthiest market of the city was full of life, people buying food, merchants coming from faraway lands; going through this market always felt like traveling around the world to you. 

“Mother, can I go to this shop? I’ll catch you later at the clothing shop.” asked Lucius hopefully to his mother as he looked at what seemed to be an armory.

“Alright, but don’t wander in taverns or any back alley, you never know who you might encounter.” she replied with a smile. You didn’t know how she could bare to let her son go alone in the city, it always worried you. It’s not that the people were hostile, it was quite the contrary, some of them even worshipped you to a point difficult to understand. You, Commodus and the Senate simply served the people and the Empire as it should be. 

“We’re almost at the shop sweetie, do you have a favorite color for your tunic?” you asked your little girl, who seemed to think for a bit.

“Purple!” she bursted with excitement. You and Lucilla chuckled.

“I think it would suit you very well! And also...” started Lucilla before being cut off by someone yelling.

“It’s the Empress!” the person yelled with joy and at this many people turned around to look at you, a people started to approach you, they all had a friendly smile, but suddenly it was a lot of people, the two guards tried to surround you but they were outnumbered by the crowd. 

“Thank you...” you spoke you took in your hands flowers an elderly woman gave you, you looked at Lucilla, you were starting to feel overwhelmed by all these people and more kept coming, pushing to get to you and you found it difficult to keep your balance and breath, your poor daughter must have been terrified, you needed to take her in your arms before something bad happens. But that’s when you realized you didn’t hold her hand anymore.

“Where’s Julia!?” you asked to Lucilla in panic, looking around and trying to find your daughter. Lucilla didn’t have her either and that’s when she realized that something very serious could be happening.

“Guards! Guards!” she screamed at the top of her lungs and the two guards accompanying you started to get rough with the crowd to make them take their distances and thankfully more soldiers started to come from adjacent streets to disband the mob and protect you. When the people were finally pushed away you and Lucilla look around for Julia, she was nowhere in sight.

“Y/N! Mother! What happened? Where's Julia?” asked urgently Lucius after running towards you, but you couldn’t answer him, you felt like your heart was going to explode, this wasn’t real, she was hiding somewhere and, in a few seconds, she will come out and run into your arms. You heard Lucilla speak to him in the background but your mind is too much in shock to understand anything she said. You felt Lucius wrap an arm around you and guiding you, towards the palace probably. You snapped out of your thoughts looking at the guards escorting you, no, you had to stay there, you needed to find Julia. 

“Y/N a whole contingent of soldiers is staying to find Julia but we need to get you back to the palace.” told you Lucilla with strength, she will make sure her niece is found safe. As you reached the palace you felt tears coming out and running down your face, what if it was too late? What will happen to her? Suddenly, you recognized the quick steps of your husband.

“What happened?” he asked with worry, putting Valens in Lucilla’s arms so that he could hold your face between his hands.

“Y/N what happened? Where is Julia?” he asked you, making eye contact with you. You couldn’t speak, you let out a sob as he pronounced her name. That’s when he understood that you had lost your daughter, he was frowning at first, he was so deeply hurt, why would this happen, why would someone steal his daughter!? But then he felt rage grow in his chest, he was furious, he let go of your face to grab his nephew by his toga.

“Where were you Lucius!? Why weren’t you there to protect them!” he stormed; he was so disappointed, his nephew had failed to protect the family and now Julia had disappeared, and who knew what was happening to her. 

“I’m-I'm sorry uncle...” bewailed Lucius unable to keep looking at his uncle in the eyes, he was so ashamed, he should have stayed by your side.

“Commodus...” you called him, you needed to hold him. Your pleading tone seemed to break him out of his anger and he let go of his nephew and took you in his arms, tightly holding you against his chest as you sobbed.

“Sire, what are your instructions?” asked the General. Commodus looked at him with his eyes furious and determined.

“Send all the men available to find my girl, search every street and corner of Rome. Find her.” 


	2. Chapter 2

“Don’t you dare come back again and tell me you didn’t find her or I’ll feed you to the lions!” threatened Commodus, throwing the General a deadly glare. The General swallowed down before saluting the Emperor and leaving to search the whole city. Your husband was in a poor state since you came back without your daughter, he had lost sleep and so did you; you didn’t understand why it was so hard to find your daughter, it had been almost two days already. Slowly, you touched his shoulder blade in an attempt to calm him, but he jumped at your contact, as if he had forgotten your presence.

“Go to bed Y/N” he sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. But you didn’t want to leave his side, it was your fight too!

“No, I’m staying with you. It’s my responsibility, I’m the one who lost her!” you objected slightly raising your voice under the exhaustion.

“AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WITH YOU!!” he yelled back with tears in his eyes, facing you at the same time, he was breathing fast. He finally made eye contact with you, he realized you were both tense and in need of comfort; so he closed the gap between the two of you, taking you in his arm, placing little kisses on your temple, begging for your forgiveness; you hugged him as tightly as you could, rubbing comforting circles on his back; he had so much hate towards those who had done this to him and to you. The only difference is that he was emotionally unstable, too sensitive some might say, it was your duty to make sure he won’t wander too far away again.

“We should try to get some rest.” You spoke against his shoulder, you felt him nod in your neck exhausted.

When you were both in bed, facing each other, his arm was wrapped around your waist, while your fingers traced his jaw, your thumb sometimes brushing over his lips.

“Do you fear that we have lost her forever?” asked your husband in a small voice, like a scared child looking for reassurance.

“It doesn’t leave my mind…” you admitted scooting closer to him, resting your forehead against his “I can’t explain it, but I know she’s alive, somewhere, I can feel it my love. Trust me.” You added with conviction; your words seemed to appease him, after all, he trusted you more than anything, he kissed your palm with adoration. The both of you closed your eyes, warm and safe in each other’s arm and hoping to find some rest.

Since, the event, Lucilla had become distant again with her brother; his mood reminded her too much the past, and this time you didn’t hold it against her, you were the one responsible for losing Julia and you will never forgive yourself. And Lucius hated himself as much as you hated yourself right now; when Commodus wasn’t there, he was the man of the family and out of selfishness he had left you and Lucilla, if he had been there, maybe he could have protected Julia.

“Uncle, I’m going with a contingent of soldiers to search the north part of the city.” Announced Lucius looking at his feet. Your husband was completely ignoring him, carrying on with his tasks; when he didn’t answer your nephew lifted his eyes and understood Commodus couldn’t even bear to look at him, then Lucius’s eyes traveled to you, you nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile; it relieved him a bit to know that you had compassion left for him. Then, he left; Commodus continued to work like nothing had happened, but you weren’t blind, you could see his clenched jaw, the hurt in his eyes, he loved his nephew so much, but he had been so disappointed that he couldn’t deal with him right now, Julia was his priority.

As the day went on, it became harder for you to stay home and wait for good news; you wanted to go search the city yourself, only you could make sure every area had been searched, because if you never find her, you didn’t know how you will overcome your pain. Commodus was at his desk, trying to keep working on other matters of the Empire, even if his mind was completely absorbed by his daughter. He noticed how you were pacing around him; how you fidgeted your fingers, how close to tears you were. And he couldn’t bear to see you like this, so he called for the General.

“Search every house, every stable and every shelter on your path, I don’t care if it offends some nobles or the poorest of Rome, I want every damn corner of this city to be searched, even the Senators houses.” He ordered the man, it gave you some hope, maybe someone was hiding her or maybe she was held against her will…you were pushed out your thoughts by Commodus’s hands cupping your face.

“We will find her; I will never give up on her Y/N.” vowed your lover before placing protectively his lips on your forehead then on your mouth, his sweet kiss somehow reassured you, it was like he was sealing his promise; you wrapped your arms around his waist, bringing him closer to you, so that you could feel his heartbeat, it had become an habit for you.

That night, Lucius came back exhausted, and discouraged, the city had grown so big, the task felt endless and chances to find his niece hopeless. Commodus saw his nephew come back without nothing, it made his blood boil, why couldn’t anyone find his daughter!? He had to go himself, to be sure everything is done to find her.

“I’m going to search for Julia now. I will not stop until I find her.” He announced you, you quickly got up at this.

“Then, I’m coming with you. Don’t argue with me about it, my decision is final.” You said, your tone final.

“Who’s going to look after Valens?” asked Commodus with worry; he didn’t want to lose his son too, what if conspirators were back in the place again?

“Lucilla. You know you can trust her for this.” Your husband nodded in approval, she had changed in a god way these past years; he didn’t have much choice but to accept anyway; he knew how stubborn you could be. So, he headed to the bedroom to put on his armor and take his sword, you followed to put on your cloak. As he prepared himself, you could feel danger radiate off of him, it’s something you hadn’t felt in a while; you understood this, you wanted the person who abducted your daughter to suffer and beg for death.

As you both came out of the bedroom, your husband went to his children room. His little boy was sleeping, his face relaxed at the sight of Valens sleeping. You walked past your husband, and silently kissed your son’s forehead, you shouldn’t forget him while you searched for Julia, he needed both his parents love. As you went back to your husband, you noticed how dreamy he looked, he met your eyes, you could see a hint of the madness he suffered from years ago, ready to destroy him once again, it was terrifying how it stayed in the back of his mind. 

“When Valens will wake up, his sister will be beside him.” He whispered with small smile. You kissed his cheek, you wanted to believe him. As you headed to outside, you noticed from the corner of your eyes, Lucius, a cup of wine in his left hand while his head rested in his other hand, his eyes were red and swollen, you couldn’t let him like this, he reminded you too much of your husband.

“Wait, you need to talk to Lucius.” You called your husband, grabbing his hand to stop him. He frowned.

“It can wait. Why should I talk to someone who disappointed me?” he objected, annoyance in his voice.

“He hates himself for failing you and you know it” you said with a serious tone “You always said that your father never gave you a chance to prove yourself, never saw your virtues. Do not make the same mistake as your father.” You warned him, he seemed to realize his mistake. He looked at the floor, thinking a bit about what to say to his nephew, then went to him. You stayed where you were, it had to be just the two them; you smiled as you saw hope rise in Lucius’s eyes, Commodus had asked him to join the search for Julia tonight. 

A contingent of Pretorians accompanied the three of you, keeping their distances to be more discreet but ready to intervene in case something was to go wrong. The area of the market had been searched several times already; so, Commodus decided to go to the edge of the city, you ended up in the filthiest and most dangerous suburbs of Rome. The city had grown in wealth these past years, but disadvantaged areas remained and were the nest of criminals, thieves, murderers and rapists. You swallowed down, as you noticed men staring at you with a terrifying desire; this was no place for a woman like you. Commodus felt your fear and took your hand in his, looking at you in the eyes.

“Nothing can happen to you. I’m right here.” He said in a low but determined tone. He looked back at the people around, walking with his head held high, showing no fear, defying some with his eyes, which was enough to make them back off, if only they had recognized their emperor they’d be begging him on their knees. Lucius walked closer to you, ready to defend you.

Behind you, the contingent search the houses which distracted the people from the three of you. You noticed how some men guarded their shops, meaning they were conducting illegal activities, maybe even selling slaves illegally. You finally arrived at a small place, crowded with people, and not poor people, rich and even nobles, they wear all waiting around a small stage; you wondered what could make higher class people come in those dangerous parts of the city.

A fat man came on stage, under the applause of the cheering of the audience. By his look, his clothes and the jewels he wore, you could tell he was making a lot of money with this.

“Welcome all! Tonight, we have some very interesting slaves for you, good health! Strength! Beauty! They will satisfy all your needs and that for the lowest prices of the Empire!” He announced making the first adult slaves enter the stage, there was young men and women, trembling in fear, waiting for their sentence.

“The slaves have a status protecting them, this shouldn’t exist.” you commented in a murmur, sad for those people, even if they had very little rights, the law could protect them from cruel owners. Your husband didn’t respond, but you could feel his anger rising, his people, in the state city of the Empire were breaking the law and should be punished for it.

But the worst was yet to come; you stayed for the selling, your intuition told you that you had to and Commodus could feel it too; something important was about to happen, the nobles here couldn’t risk so much simply for illegal slaves, something special, rare, surely had to be here.

“And now! The highlight of today! The moment you’ve all been waiting for!” shouted the host with a toothy grin, he gestured to the side of the stage, people were cheering, talking loudly in excitement. Your eyes open wide in horror when you saw a bunch of kids enter the stage, they were of all ages, what a dreadful thing to do! All those poor kids taken away from their families or worse sold by their parents! Commodus blood was boiling, now that he was a father, this sight was unbearable, it was sickening; even him, in his worst moments of madness would never support such thing.

Then, that’s when you saw her, Julia, your little girl, her hands tied just like the other kids. Your heart was racing you wanted to scream her name and jump on stage to get her, but there were armed henchmen all around.

“Commodus! That’s her! That’s Julia! Let’s get her out of here!” you whispered to him urgently, shaking his arm. But your lover seemed in a state of shock under the discovery of his daughter in such a place, his beautiful, precious and pure daughter, in a filthy and dangerous place, how could someone dare to sell his daughter, royal blood, his blood!

“You can teach them how to be a perfect slave or use them for your own pleasure” insinuated the host. The second Commodus heard those words, he saw red, he drew out his sword and made a sign to his men to surround the place. The audience started screaming in fear as the Pretorians arrived encircling the place, Lucius stayed by your side to protect you. Commodus was unstoppable, piercing through the crowd, killing anyone in his path; without any effort he killed two henchmen who tried to fight back despite being surrounded; the Emperor had fought Maximus, he wasn’t called ‘Commodus the invincible’ for nothing. He was full of rage, growling as he plunged his sword in the man’s chest, he had finally reach the seller, hitting him in the face with the handle of his sword; the man shrieked in pain, falling on the floor; Commodus put his blade right under the man’s throat, he was resisting so hard to the need to kill this monster.

“You won’t die so soon you deserve to pay for what you’ve done.” Your husband growled full of hate; the seller only seemed to recognize him now.

“My Emperor! I am sorry if I offended you in any way, I never thought you would care about a few slaves!” panted the man, lifting his hands in signs of surrender.

“You took my daughter from me, to sell her as a slave! The daughter of the Emperor!” shouted Commodus, ready beat down the man.

“I beg for your mercy, I didn’t know!” begged the man; then, a cruel smirk formed on Commodus’s lips.

“I was never merciful.” He purred, he couldn’t wait to make the man suffer, and for once you were grateful, he had this darkness in him. He gestured for the guards to hold the man, and for others to untie the children. Your lover untied Julia himself, you pushed through the people, Lucius behind you, you needed to hold your daughter in your arms. As you arrived Commodus was checking if his daughter had any visible sign of being arm, she seemed okay but scared; your husband couldn’t resist to take her in his arms, hugging her tightly, closing his eyes, he had found her, she was safe now, he pushed away giving her a forceful kiss on the forehead. But he was too furious to come home just yet.

“Free the slaves, bring the children to the palace until we find them families.” You ordered to the guards, who instantly obeyed; they knew how much the Emperor shared power over the Empire with you. Commodus lifted his daughter, putting her in your arms, you fought back tears as she called your name and grabbed the fabric of your dress.

“Mama’s here baby. I’ m here.” You repeated several times in her ear, caressing her hair.

“Get back to the palace Y/N. Lucius do not disappoint me this time” ordered Commodus, putting his hand on his nephew’s shoulder, Lucius nodded determined. You briefly met your husband’s eyes as you started to walk away, you knew he was about to do something he hadn’t done in a while, you gave him a reassuring smile, it was the right thing to do.

Once you, your daughter and Lucius were far enough, out of immediate danger, you barely heard the Emperor’s order.

“Take this one to the imperial jail and kill everyone else here.” A few seconds afterwards, you heard the screams of all the people who came to buy, now they were being punished.

“Julia don’t look, listen to my voice.” You said firmly to your daughter making her bury her head in the crook of your neck, your hand soothingly caressed her back.

You sighed in relief as you entered the place after crossing the city on your horse, your daughter was finally out of any danger.

“I’m tired mama” said Julia against your neck. You were about to answer her when Valens appeared in the corridor, accompanied by Lucilla; he was sleepily rubbing his eyes, the voice of his sister had woken him up.

“Julia, you left for a long time.” He commented, yawning.

“You sister is back now Valens, she missed you a lot, you will have to give her a big hug.” Instructed him Lucilla, caressing his hair. You crouched down, and Julia by herself took her little brother in her arms, hugging him tightly. You smiled, happy to see your kids alive and well.

“Mama, where’s daddy?” asked then your little boy, looking at you with hope; he wanted his dad to put him back to sleep.

“Daddy is doing something very important right now. But you and your sister can come to bed with me and wait for daddy.” You offered, both nodded with a sudden excitement and headed to the bedroom. Before following them your turned to Lucius, taking his face between your hands.

“Thank you, Lucius. Commodus never stopped loving you, he’s proud of you.” You reassured your nephew, who released a relieved smiled. You nodded thankful to Lucilla for looking after your son; then you joined your children in your bedroom.

That night, it took a while for your husband to come back. You children had fallen asleep in your bed, Valens, snuggled against his sister. As for you, despite exhaustion, you couldn’t sleep. You wanted to wait for Commodus; you knew he had made the man suffer, you trusted him for this, but you feared for his mind. It was good he wasn’t back yet, the state of rage he was in, was intense; he needed to clear his mind, he couldn’t come back to his family with so much of this in him.

Then, you heard him arrive, his steps were tired but quiet, he didn’t want to wake up anyone. He walked around the bed and look at you, and pleasantly surprised to see his children with you. A soft smile formed on his lips; he was happy to see his family back together. Then, his eyes traveled to yours, silently asking you if Julia was okay. You caressed your daughter’s hair.

“She doesn’t have bruises or anything, she didn’t really understand what happened, but she got quite a fright.” You answered in a whisper, looking back at him. As you had changed her in her night clothes, you had meticulously inspected every inch of her skin to make sure nothing had happened to her. Commodus deeply exhaled, relieved. Now, he wanted nothing but join you and his children in bed, protectively holding the three of you until morning.

But you noticed his hands covered in blood, a few splatters on his face, so you got up, careful not to wake up your children. You approached him, he kept looking at you in the eyes with a sad expression, as if he was expecting you to reject him, hate him. But you didn’t, how could you? Today you loved him even more; he had found and saved your daughter. You brought your hand to his cheek, he let out a desperate whine, leaning into your touch; you close the gap between the two of you, you had missed his lips for too long and he needed yours so much, the kiss was almost painful as it was desperate. Commodus wrapped his arms around your body, keeping his red stained hands away from your white dress.

Out of breath, you separated, nuzzling your nose against his; he gave you another kiss before meeting your eyes once again, he wanted show you how much he loved you, but he was exhausted and the need to hold his children was stronger tonight. You tenderly smiled at him and went to take a clean cloth and a bowl of water to clean the blood away. You sat on the edge of the bed next to him, resting the bowl on your legs, you gently took his hand and plunged it into the water, the blood was still fresh and came off easily, how pure his hands looked now, you took care of his other hand, the blood didn’t bother you, it was the blood of a monster. It made your lover feel better, as if you were washing his sins away, and as if he was starting off pure and good again. Finally, you erased the few drops of blood on his face and before you could pull away your hand, he gently grabbed it, fervently kissing your palm, then your fingers, you sighed in pleasure; when you will have some time alone with Commodus, you will show how important he is, how much you loved him…

By a simple look, the both of you agreed to join your children in bed. Commodus securely wrapped his arms around the three of you. Julia turned to snuggle against her father’s torso, faintly calling his name in her sleep.

“Sleep my darling, daddy’s watching over you.” He murmured kissing the top of her head before falling asleep out of exhaustion.

In the morning you were awaken by sweet muffled giggles and when you managed to open your eyes both Julia and Valens were sitting cross legged looking at their parents, apparently it was funny to watch their parents sleep. Then, you heard a very soft snoring coming from Commodus, it rarely happened to him, only when he was truly exhausted. He was sleeping on his stomach, his face half buried in his pillow which he hugged; you smiled at this cute scene and understood the laughs of your children.

“Daddy’s very tired, he worked a lot yesterday. You can go wake up Uncle Lucius and have breakfast with him.” You told your children, blowing then a kiss as they quietly got off the bed, trying not to wake up their father.

Once they left, you scooted closer to Commodus, delicately tracing the features of his face with the tip of your fingers. It reminded you of the first time you woke up next him, he hadn’t changed since, still so beautiful, his smooth sun-kissed skin, his plump lips that you longed for, his curly raven hair which you loved to grab as he made love to you. You stayed by his side, memorizing each patch of his skin until he finally opened his eyes.

And what a beautiful sight for Commodus, the first thing to see as he wakes up, you lovingly gazing at him, caressing his face.

“Hey…” he murmured; his voice slightly raspy after his deep sleep. His hand came up to cup your cheek.

“Good morning…” you replied leaning forward to tenderly capture his lips. Then, he suddenly remembered his children had slept here, so alert he looked around for them, but you instantly reassured him, they were with Lucius and safe, he sighed in relief and refocused his attention on you.

“I don’t know what I would be without you…” he started capturing your lips with more passion, you went on top of him, making yourself comfortable on his body, his hand slid from your back to your thigh, grabbing them with need.

“I need you...” he breathed desperately against your lips. You took possession of his mouth once again, caressing his tongue with yours, tasting him. This time, you will take care of him, make him feel safe and loved. Unfortunately, you two will have two be quick this morning, the children could come back at any moment. 

He had slept shirtless, your hands traveled on his chest, feeling his heart beating fast under your touch, the goosebumps forming on his sensitive skin. Your mouth traveled to his jaw, then his neck, he moaned as you nibbled his skin, he tasted so good, the feeling on his burning skin against your lips was thrilling, you could never get enough of him. You felt him growing hard against your soft spot, you smirked, you couldn’t wait to feel him inside of you. Your hand continued down his body, until you reach his erection, letting it out, stroking it slowly, with adoration.

It was a rare thing for Commodus to let you take the lead but when you did, how good it felt to be at your mercy. You straightened up, and looked at him in the eyes as you entered him, he rejected his head back at the feeling of your tight entrance around his manhood, he let out a shuddering breath; he looked beautiful as he was panting, his mouth open, his cheeks flushed. You leaned forward as you started to move, kissing him with all the love you had for him. His grip on your thighs tightened, you did your best to muffle his moans of pleasure with your mouth, but yours were getting harder to hide too.

“You’re so good Commodus…love you so much…” you moaned against his lips as you felt yourself getting closer to the edge. You fastened your movements as Commodus cried in pleasure, biting his lower lip to prevent his children from hearing. He came in a growl, then, he kissed your lips as you took a few extra thrusts to reach climax and then you rest your face against his, he pushed away a few strands of your hair tickling his nose. He released a big grin, a happy chuckle escaping his mouth, his life was getting back together.

The following days, Commodus made sure you or him, was looking after Julia and Valens, he had been so terrified for her. When you couldn’t, he was taking her with him, even to his meetings with Senate. That day, you stayed in the back of the Senate for a bit, to observe your husband, he was such a good father and you never had enough of his interactions with your children.

“Indeed Senator, patrols in the suburbs of the city should be reinforced and…honey don’t do that…” he interrupted himself as Julia played with the lace of his boots and untied one of them. Your daughter grinned mischievously, you retained a laugh and decided to relief Commodus from his child.

His face instantly relaxed as he saw you arrive. He loved to have Julia by his side, but she often distracted him from his work. Your daughter ran into your arms, hugging your leg; at her age, listening to the Senate must be truly boring you thought. The senators saluted you, and Commodus stood up, tenderly smiling at you as he respectfully bowed his head to you.

“Looks like you’re the one in need to be saved…” you joked, Commodus chuckled and approached you, his thumb coming up to caress your chin and lower lip.

“Once again, I’m indebted to you my love.” He flirted back, taking your hand in his and kissing your fingers fondly, closing his eyes as he did so.

“I will be joining you and the children shortly.” He said, sounding as a promise, you smiled in return, eager to have him back to you.

Commodus arrived a short hour afterwards, you were on the floor playing with Julia and Valens. You didn’t hear him at first, too focused on your children.

“Daddy!” cheered Valens, scampering towards his father who caught him and playfully lifted him in the air, making his son giggle, you turned your head to look at your husband and met his eyes. He put down your son, and approach you, joining you on the floor. He scooted closer to you, spreading his legs for you to snuggle against him, you happily accepted, resting your back against his chest; he wrapped his arms around your body, resting his chin on your shoulder. The both of you watched your children play, smiling at their creativity; from time to time Commodus left kisses on your shoulder, or your neck, you chuckled knowingly as he nibbled your lobe with desire.

Then, Julia approached the both of you, she had made a drawing with ink which she handed to her father, it was very abstract.

“What is it?” asked Commodus softly, passing an arm around your daughter, she pointed her finger at the first figure.

“That’s you, killing the bad guys” she described with a proud smile.

“I’m sorry that a young girl like you had to see those things” apologized Commodus, briefly lowering his eyes in shame, he still felt guilty he couldn’t protect her that day.

“It’s okay daddy, you saved me, you are my hero.” She answered with big smile, then kissing his cheek, your husband let out a shaky breath, emotion suddenly overcoming him, he lovingly caressed her little head, then he looked back at you, his eyes silently thanking you for the life you had gave him; you pinched your lips together, his daughter had just gave him the most precious gift he could have hoped for. You were so proud of the man he had become, a loving husband and protective father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :)  
> As always, kudos and comments are very appreciated ^^


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